Hyundai Veloster Street debuts

Hyundai has today announced a new sports car variant heading to dealerships, the Veloster Street.

Priced from $24,990 for the six-speed manual, the sporty-looking Street model is unique to Australia, and adds a number of visual enhancements, plus red leather seats and sports suspension to increase appeal.

We first spied the Hyundai Veloster Street in Sydney in July, and can now confirm it will only be available with the naturally-aspirated 103kW/166Nm 1.6-litre GDI petrol engine, pitched as mid-grade sports model.

The new Veloster Street model was inspired by the 'Street' concept car from the 2012 Australian motor show and features several cosmetic upgrades, including a unique paint job, revised 18-inch alloy wheels and a larger rear spoiler.

Here's the full list of additions over the entry-level $23,990 Veloster:

    - Red leather upholstery with matching door inserts
    - 18-inch alloy wheels with red inserts
    - Larger body-coloured rear spoiler
    - Exclusive Sonic Silver metallic paint
    - Plush pile floor mats with embroidered 'Street' logo
    - Sports suspension (as per Veloster SR Turbo)
    - 'Street' badge on front guard

A six-speed DCT dual-clutch auto transmission is also offered for $27,390. Like all Hyundais, the asymmetrically-designed car comes with three years capped-price servicing (the first service is free), a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and 12 months roadside assistance.

Bill Thomas, Public Relations General Manager at Hyundai Australia, says the new car offers a sporty mid-spec model that slots in between the entry-level Veloster ($23,990) and the range-topping Volster SR Turbo ($31,990).

Hyundai Australia is also considering other ways it can expand its strong-selling sports car range; Thomas hinted the Veloster SR Turbo "could lead to bigger things".

Although the Hyundai PR chief wouldn't elaborate on specifics, he did reveal that we could see something "a bit more hardcore in future."

The Hyundai Veloster was Australia's best-selling sports car in 2012 with 4,107 sales, accounting for more than one in four sports car sales with a 25.9 per cent market share.

But its 2379 sales in the first seven months of 2013 relegate it to second place behind the Toyota 86's 4049 units. Coming in third is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe with 1283 sales.

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